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Notice to Members 98-39

NASD Revises Sanction Guidelines

The National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD®) has revised the NASD Sanction Guidelines (Guidelines), which are used by the various bodies that adjudicate disciplinary matters (Adjudicators) to determine appropriate remedial sanctions. The National Business Conduct Committee (NBCC)1 originally published the Guidelines in 1993 and periodically revised them to promote consistency and uniformity in the imposition of sanctions in disciplinary matters. The Guidelines contain an introductory section that explains the purpose of NASD disciplinary sanctions and sets forth certain generally applicable principles and considerations for determining appropriately remedial sanctions. The Guidelines also specify the range of monetary (e.g., fines and restitution orders) and non-monetary (e.g., bars, suspensions, and expulsions) sanctions generally applicable for violations at issue. The recommended ranges are not absolute. In applying the Guidelines, Adjudicators must exercise judgment and discretion in determining remedial sanctions and may impose sanctions that fall outside of the recommended ranges, or impose no sanction at all, depending on the unique facts of each case.